I'm the only one
by SplendentGoddess
Summary: Inuyasha sees Kikyou, Kagome gets upset and goes home. Sound familiar? It sure does to Kagome. Maybe a night out with her friends will allow her to express her pain. When Inuyasha follows Kagome's scent, he stumbles upon the karaoke bar...


Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.

"I'm the only one" is written by and is the property of Melissa Etheridge. I am in no way affiliated with Melissa Etheridge or MLE Music.

* * *

A/N:

This story is slightly off-canon in that Kagome is eighteen instead of fifteen. It doesn't take place during any specific part of the mission.

_**I'm the only one…**_

Kagome was older, and wiser, and knew long ago that she swore to remain by Inuyasha's side forever. But why did he have to be such a baka?

Three and a half years in, the jewel was nearly complete, _and_ in the hands of Naraku. Now was not the time to turn her back on her mission, or her friends, but perhaps a night or two away from the Feudal era was in order. Once again, Inuyasha had run off at Kikyou's beck and call. Kagome tried to understand, tried not to let it bother her, but when she caught herself thinking, even for a split second, that she should have just let her predecessor die when Naraku's miasma had been going to dissolve her clay body, the future-born-miko screamed at herself. How could she _ever_ think something so horrible? Even for a split second?

_That's…that's how Kikyou thinks_...

Not her, not Kagome. She was nice, and sweet, and would never, ever wish anyone dead. Not even that sinister, manipulative, soul sucking bitch.

Oops, did she say that out loud? Sighing to herself, Kagome decided she just wanted to go home for a night or two; she just wanted to unwind. The world could wait.

Of course poor Kagome's inner turmoil was completely lost on our favorite hanyou. After coming back to camp to discover both she and Kirara missing, Inuyasha _dared_ ask the others… "What's her problem?"

It was then that Shippou let him have it, going on and on about what an uncaring, unfeeling _baka _he was, until Inuyasha too decided that he needed to get away, away from that annoying kitsune!

Looking across the campsite at one another, and eventually realizing that they'd pretty much been left alone, Sango flashed Miroku a look that clearly said "Don't get any ideas." Shippou, meanwhile, pouted that he'd have to sleep next to Sango that night instead of Kagome.

Once he was out of sight, Inuyasha made a b-line for the well, and it wasn't long before he was back in Kagome's time, though she'd had a several hour head start. He was certain she'd just be up in her room crying, though, a thought that actually made his heart ache as he leapt up to her windowsill, fully prepared to drag her back, and even _apologize_ if necessary, only to discover that she wasn't even at home.

Mrs. Higurashi suddenly entered the room, having thought she'd heard some commotion.

"Oh, Inuyasha!" she said a bit startled.

"Where's Kagome?" he asked impatiently.

"Her friends decided she needed a 'pick me up' and took her down to a local karaoke bar."

Inuyasha didn't know what that was, but understood at least that Kagome wasn't home, so he simply decided to track her down by scent. He was back out the window before Mrs. Higurashi had time to say another word.

_He really does love her…_ she thought.

...

Sniffing his way through town, there weren't _too_ many people walking the street at that time, so he didn't get _too_ many stares, though he sure got them from the few people who were out and about. Not that he cared; he was on a mission.

_She better not be with that Houjou guy! _

When the hanyou finally caught up with Kagome's location, a small and loud building filled with too many people and too many scents, he almost immediately lost hers in the mix. But he did note how Houjou's scent wasn't anywhere around, so that was a good thing, at least. He only smelled her three girl friends.

He was able to enter the club without incident since there wasn't a cover charge, and the guy working the door was too caught off guard by Inuyasha's appearance to bother carding the hanyou. While out on the street, Inuyasha had snatched a ball cap off somebody's head, so he was at least covering his ears at the moment. Good thing too, he realized, as even with his hearing slightly muffled the place still seemed ridiculously loud. There was a stage off to one side, with some stupid girl upon it singing some stupid song. He wasn't paying much attention, scanning the crowed for his Kagome.

Suddenly, the girl stopped singing, and everybody applauded. She was fairly good, after all, he supposed. Not that he understood half of the lyrics. He recalled what a telephone was, but a radio? A DJ? Whatever, it didn't matter.

Suddenly, Inuyasha was pulled from his thoughts when a man up on stage where the girl had been moments prior called out Kagome's name.

"Next up, we have Higurashi Kagome!" Everyone started to clap.

Inuyasha quickly decided to duck down into an out of the way corner, where he was fairly certain she wouldn't see him. The last thing he needed was to get sat in such a crowded, noisy and smelly room full of humans.

When he saw Kagome take the stage, his jaw literally dropped. She wasn't wearing her normal school uniform, but a pair of rather tight and low cut jeans. An equally tight and low cut tank top was what was trying to pass for her shirt, not that it covered enough, he thought grumpily, with the way her breasts were practically falling out, or how it rode so high that her belly button was in plain view. The man in him absolutely adored seeing her dressed in such an outfit; he just didn't like the fact that _other guys_ were seeing her in it as well.

Suddenly, the music started…

_**Please baby can't you see, **__**my mind's a burnin' hell**_

_**I got razors a rippin' and tearin' and strippin' **__**my heart apart as well**_

What? Did she really feel that way? Inuyasha's heart sank at Kagome's sung words. Why couldn't he see all the pain he always put her through?

_**Tonight you told me **__**that you ache for something new**_

_**And some other woman is lookin' like something **__**that might be good for you**_

He recalled Kagome's face when she'd once again caught him with Kikyou. Well, she hadn't so much caught him _with_ Kikyou as she'd caught him going out to _meet_ Kikyou, calling him on it before he had even left camp. Then what had he done? He'd told her it was none of her business, and to leave him alone, as he'd continued to follow the soul stealers that had come to lead him through the woods.

_**Go on and hold her till the screaming is gone**_

_**Go on believe her when she tells you nothing's wrong**_

"Kikyou…" he murmured, merely a whisper, recalling all of the times he'd held her since her resurrection, including the time she'd pulled a knife on him.

_**But I'm the only one **__**who'll walk across the fire for you**_

_**And I'm the only one **__**who'll drown in my desire for you**_

_**It's only fear that makes you run, **__**the demons that you're hiding from**_

_**When all your promises are gone...**__**I'm the only one**_

"Kagome…." he muttered quietly in that moment. She was right, wasn't she? She'd always been there for him. She'd saved him on more than one occasion, nearly as many times as he'd saved her, if he truly thought about it. No matter how many times he'd screwed things up, she always came back to him. She'd confessed long ago that she shared Kikyou's desire to be with him, but that wasn't really true, was it? Because Kikyou didn't have that desire, not any more. He was the one who kept running to the undead miko, just wanting to see her again. But what was he planning on doing when the mission was over? He couldn't live without Kagome. What if he lost her?

_**Please baby can't you see, **__**I'm trying to explain**_

_**I've been here before and I'm locking the door **__**and I'm not going back again**_

Kami, he really _could_ lose her, couldn't he? She could leave one of these times, and never come back.

_**Her eyes and arms and skin won't make it go away**_

_**You'll wake up tomorrow and wrestle the sorrow **__**that holds you down today**_

He had to make a decision, Inuyasha realized in that moment. It was as if Kagome was singing directly to _him_, and _only_ him. Her words made perfect sense. Whenever he's with Kikyou he can temporarily remember all the feelings he used to have for her. He can reminisce and _what-if_ himself to death, but when it's over, when they part again, that's when he realizes, that's when he remembers... Kagome, there's also Kagome. Whenever she leaves him, goes back through that damn well, it's as if his heart has been ripped from his chest. He can breathe without Kikyou in his life every waking moment, but Kagome…Kagome was like his air. Without her, he would surely die.

_**Go on and hold her till the screaming is gone**_

_**Go on believe her when she tells you nothing's wrong**_

He knew Kagome's love for him was genuine, too. She'd pulled him out of his own evil with her love. She was pure, and untainted with mistrust. If it had been Kagome, she would never have fallen for Naraku's trick, would she? The only times she'd _ever_ aimed an arrow at him was when her body had been under the control of somebody's curse, and even during those times, she'd managed to utter a warning from her lips. Even when her body had been taken against her will, her mind had still remained her own. Inuyasha knew all too well that though she'd been deceived, it had been Kikyou, the _real_ Kikyou, who had fired that arrow fifty years ago. Kagome, on the other hand, had once thrown herself _in front of_ an arrow that had been aiming for his heart.

_**But I'm the only one **__**who'll walk across the fire for you**_

_**And I'm the only one **__**who'll drown in my desire for you**_

_**It's only fear that makes you run, **__**the demons that you're hiding from**_

_**When all your promises are gone...**__**I'm the only one**_

His mind snapped back into the here and now upon several people in the club applauding and whistling to the breathtakingly beautiful girl up on the stage, as she stepped gracefully back and forth, a few repeats of _**I'm the only one…**_flowing from her lips as she danced. When the music finally stopped she bowed politely, and handed the microphone back to the KJ, who promptly brought it up to his own lips and exclaimed "Let's here it for Kagome!" at which point, even the people who'd been sitting at the tables stood up to her ovation.

Inuyasha could no longer contain himself, as he too began to applaud her, calling out "Yeah!" along with some of the others.

Kagome realized he was there almost immediately, recognizing his voice anywhere, even over all of the other cheering voices. When Inuyasha saw her darting her eyes around somewhat in his direction, he hesitantly moved out into view. Their eyes locked, and for the first time in his life, Inuyasha was truly afraid of what she was going to say. He didn't care any more if she sat him. After all, he was out in public in her time, something he knew she didn't approve of, so if she sat him for that he would sort of deserve it. What he _was_ afraid of was that when he asked her to return with him, she would say no. So far, neither were finding it easy to say much of anything, as they only continued to stare at each other from across the crowed bar. Suddenly though, Inuyasha clearly heard Kagome's whisper of his name. Her voice sounded shaky and uncertain.

"Inu…yasha?"

He slowly made his approach, knowing that she wouldn't be able to hear him over the other noises in the bar until he was practically on top of her. He had so much that he wanted to say that it all jammed up in his brain, resulting in an open mouth that produced no sound whatsoever. Her school friends didn't help, as they pointed fingers at him, accusing him of breaking her heart _yet again_, and demanding to know what he had to say for himself. The hanyou tried his best to ignore them, picturing them as three annoying kitsune, which helped until he suddenly had to fight the urge to bop them all on the head for their disrespectful words.

"Kagome…" he managed slowly, reaching out and taking her hand in his.

"Kagome, I'm…I'm so sorry."

First Kagome's eyes darted downward when she felt the gentle contact of him grabbing her hand, then they snapped back up upon hearing his unprovoked apology. Had she somehow ended up in a parallel universe? Who knew what that well was capable of doing?

Recognizing it as a sensitive moment, Kagome's friends scurried themselves away to the bathroom to give the young couple some privacy, which caused Kagome to smirk quietly to herself. Who knew they had the ability to actually show any tact? Now she was _certain_ she was in a parallel universe.

"Inuyasha…what-" Kagome started in that moment, only to immediately get cut off.

"I'm sorry, I know you don't want me out in public. Don't be mad that I followed you." he blurted out, cutting her off.

_Hmph, is _that_ what he's apologizing for?_

"I…I'm not _mad_, I'm confused…"

"I came back for you, and-"

_Well duh, that much is obvious_. "Why?" It was _her_ turn to cut _him_ off.

Sighing, Inuyasha lifted his hand that still held hers, and raised it to his chest, pinning it there when he joined it with his other hand.

"I…I _need_ you with me, Kagome. I'm sorry for hurting you, for _all_ of the times I've hurt you."

Kagome just stared open mouthed as Inuyasha stumbled through the most sincere apology she'd ever heard the hanyou utter in all the time she'd known him, and probably in all the time before that, too. As for the hanyou, he was finding it much easier than he'd anticipated to say what needed to be said, especially considering they were currently in the middle of a noisy, crowded bar. But since none of the people around them seemed to be paying them any attention, her three friends having honorably bowed out for the time being and everyone else simply being too enthralled with the new singer up on stage, they could almost act as if they were truly alone at the moment.

Shyly, Kagome rose up her free hand and placed it upon the other three that were all currently gathered at Inuyasha's chest. Slowly, she began to speak.

"I'm…I'm sorry, too."

"Keh, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"I _do_." she insisted, "For getting upset all the time. I…I know I _shouldn't_. It shouldn'tbother me, it just…does."

Kagome couldn't see it under his hat, but Inuyasha's ears were drooped down at her words. Maybe she could read it in his eyes, though, as she quickly tried to brighten the mood in that moment.

"Don't worry…" she started, splashing on a fake smile for some extra points, "I said I'd always stay by your side, and I will. I may go home sometimes, but I'll always come back."

She thought for sure that she'd done it. She thought for sure that he would smile back at her words, maybe _Keh_ and say something stupid like 'of course you would' or 'I'd make you' or whatever, to which she was fully prepared to smile back at, regardless. So Kagome was somewhat at a loss when his expression seemed to grow even sadder, instead, before morphing into strangely determined.

"What about when the mission is over?" he asked her solemnly, head tilted downward in a way that she could no longer see his face.

"I…."

She hesitated, not because she was unsure of what _she_ wanted, but because she was unsure of what _he_ wanted. Did he still want to use the jewel to become a full youkai? And what about Kikyou? Did he perhaps want to use it to wish her to life? Either possibility would mean purifying the jewel, which would mean sealing the well, which would mean she'd be sealed away from the Feudal era, forever. Another very real possibility was that he was still planning on joining Kikyou in hell, which could, in theory, mean that she would still have the jewel, and access to the well and her _other_ friends in the past. But, Kagome knew she could never live with herself if Inuyasha were dead. She would rather have him take the jewel if he wanted it. She would sacrifice her happiness if it meant his life, because without the knowledge that he was alive and safe, she would have no happiness anyway. One final thought that plagued her mind in passing was the realization that, if it really came down to purifying the jewel and sealing the well, she _could_ stay… She could stay in the past, permanently. But _that_ would mean sacrificing her life _here_, including her _family_, and what of Inuyasha? If he were with Kikyou after making her alive again, then…then she'd have lost _everyone_. Kagome honestly didn't know what to do.

Inuyasha was still looking down, but if he had looked up, he would have found that Kagome, too, had now lowered her gaze, hiding her eyes under her bangs. His strong sense of smell, even as assaulted as it was in the smoky room, could easily pick up the sudden sadness of her scent, and the vague hint of salt that suggested she was fighting back tears. The scent only aided in confirming for the hanyou…he'd upset her again.

_Damn it all_.

Kagome didn't need demonic senses to notice the sudden trimmer in his breath, as her hands still rested against his expanding chest. She also felt his hands begin to shake slightly. Was he _crying?_ She looked up only to see the top of his hat with white bangs falling underneath, so she quickly released one of her hands from the cluster, keeping the other one in place, while using the free one to lift his chin. He didn't resist, as she raised his face upward to meet her own, the glimmer of unshed tears giving his yellow eyes an extra sparkle. Realizing that he probably mistook her hesitation to mean she was uncertain of her own desires, she swallowed her fear, along with her pride, and answered him.

"I know what _I_ want, Inuyasha. I just don't know what _you_ want."

"What _do_ you want, Kagome?" he asked her gently.

Biting her lower lip, she sighed and came clean…

"I…I _love you_, Inuyasha, you should know that by now." She paused to gauge his initial reaction, but he merely nodded in confirmation, so she continued..."What I _want_ is for us to be together, as in…_together_…but, that doesn't seem very likely, does it?"

He was surprised she'd addressed him with a question, and actually, in a moment of confusion, muttered "Why?" in all sincerity, before her expression of _duh_ caused him to utter the one name that caused her the most pain in all the world..."Kikyou…"

One of Kagome's imprisoned tears broke free, staining her left cheek. She felt it, and closed her eyes in a moment of shame. So she didn't see it as he leaned forward, closing the distance between them. In a tender puppy-dog styled kiss, Inuyasha gently licked the salt water from her face. She opened her eyes slowly then, as the sensation registered in her distraught mind. Looking back up into his eyes, Kagome couldn't help but to blush slightly. She paid full attention as she heard him start to speak again.

"Here's what I want, Kagome…" he began, his voice suddenly strong with confidence, "I want Kikyou to rest, she deserves it. But if she chooses to continue to walk the earth as she is now, so be it, I won't cut her down. But I also won't be going with her into the afterlife."

It was his turn to pause as he gauged her reaction. At first her sadness spiked, but it was slowly fading away, revealing what smelled like possible hope underneath.

He continued…

"When I said long ago that I would gladly join her in hell, I meant it, at the _time_, but many things have _changed_ since then, Kagome…" He gave her hand a little squeeze. "I realize now that I can't live without you, and I…I can't _die_ without you, either."

It was Kagome's turn to speak in that moment, though her words were barely above a whisper.

"But…you love her."

"I _did_, I won't deny it." Inuyasha answered truthfully, quick to add "I did love her dearly, fifty years ago. But she died, she's dead, and as much as I try to pretend she's not, the smell of bones and graveyard soil that has become her scent is a constant reminder. There can be no real future with her now. There never _was_ going to be a future with the Kikyou that walks now, except for in hell…"

"But then why…" Kagome whispered, fighting back tears. She couldn't continue, but she didn't need to.

"Why am I no longer going to join her in hell?" he asked.

She nodded by squeezing her eyes shut to prevent more tears, while she jerked her face downwards once. He promptly took one of his hands to raise her face back up to meet his own, just as she had done for him not all that long ago, and then he uttered the very words she'd longed to hear most in the world, never having believed that they would ever leave his lips…

"Because I love _you_, now, Kagome."

Her mouth opened slightly in surprise, a surprise that doubled when she found Inuyasha's lips suddenly pressed gently against her own. It wasn't but a second before she felt his tongue dancing with hers, as she quickly registered what was happening and kissed him back whole heartedly.

Inuyasha heard a few far off gasps that caused him to glance upward enough to catch sight f Kagome's three friends all staring at them from the other end of the club. They were well out of earshot, for humans, but they had definitely seen the kiss. Inuyasha pondered briefly if he should warn her, she would be getting a _lot_ of questions from those cackling kitsune, for sure. But Kagome hadn't noticed their voyeurs, so for the time being he decided not to spoil the moment.

"When we complete the jewel, it will be yours to guard again. As the jewel's new chosen keeper, the job is rightfully yours, anyway." he stated gently.

Kagome immediately caught on to what he was suggesting.

"So with the jewel still intact, I'll still be able to use the well." she concluded.

"I wouldn't want to force you to choose between our two worlds." he stated simply

"If it meant being with you, Inuyasha, I would choose your world without question."

At those words, it was then Kagome's turn to instigate the kiss, to which Inuyasha instantly complied.

They decided to leave the club together after that. Kagome finally noticed the way her friends were all gaping at her, but the miko merely flashed them a look that said _I'll tell you later_ as they all smiled and waved their goodbyes. Kagome and Inuyasha walked home slowly, hand in hand. They had a lot to tell her mother now.

~ Fin ~


End file.
